Warriors Want Kobe in Chicago

Since the word on the streets is that Kobe still wants a trade (he reportedly told owner Jerry Buss in Spain that he still wants out), the only natural thing for us Bay Area hoop fans to do is evaluate how that impacts the Warriors.
ESPN’s Ric Bucher said his sources tell him that Kobe narrowed his list down to New York, Chicago and Phoenix (though I am a firm believer he would expand that list if necessary, or if the incentives were right). Not only would the Warriors benefit from not having to deal with Kobe four times a year, but they perhaps could have the door opened for another opportunity if Bryant lands in Chicago.
It’s very unlikely the Lakers would put Kobe in Phoenix. That leaves the Knicks and Bulls. The Warriors are pulling for Chicago for one reason. You guessed it (maybe). Kevin Garnett.
The Bulls – who have highly touted youngsters Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas and P.J. Brown’s expiring contract — are the Warriors stiffest competition should the Timberwolves put KG on the market. The Knicks and the Mavericks don’t have as much to offer as the Warriors. The Bulls do.
But if Chicago acquires Kobe, they likely won’t have enough tools to cop KG either. If the Lakers do ship Kobe, they would assuredly keep Bynum and Odom, which means they wouldn’t need KG. If they did want him, they would have to give up the talent they got for Kobe, which means they’ve traded Kobe for KG — not a good deal.
That leaves the Warriors, who have Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins, three draft picks this year (plus they can afford to part with next year’s pick) and a couple of capable veterans in Richardson and Harrington.
Tell me that’s not better than Jamaal Crawford and Jerome James!

Marcus Thompson

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the question becomes why wont kg pull a kobe? i know kg is too loyal, too classy for that, yada yada. but sooner or later, kg has to realize he’s reaching the end of his career. if he wants to be recognized as a great player rather than just a good 3 quarters player, he needs to be surrounded with talent and win a ring. you cant always be a nice guy cuz mchale isnt being one by hanging onto kg for his job.

Andrew Rosenblum

Good point about KG Manhattanproj — if you’re nice to someone who’s being self-serving and not-nice, then who’s that helping? With that Juwan Howard deal, it looks like McHale is still trying to keep the dream of KG in Minny alive. Somehow I think an aging Howard won’t be enough to put them over the top.

johnnyMarr

KG in Nellie’s system would be ridiculous. But how would we come up with $25mil going back to Minny? Lotsa picks, lotsa young guys, plus JRich?

cfan79

I think Boston has the most to offer

1. Paul Pierce (California native)

2. young players

3. high pick

4. expiring contract

David Pacheco

I think Kg is the best fit for the Knicks,but Kobe is a monster all around player and he will bring the fire to the city of New,York and we will love him for it.

gswbandwagon

Garnett wants to win and has an opt out after this year. Going to Boston doesn’t do much for him in terms of winning. He may get the fools gold of going a little farther because he’d be in the JV, but he’d still have nothing around him.

There’s very few teams that can pull a KG deal and not turn into the Wolves (this is why Boston is a no go). We might be one of them, though Cohan would have to be willing to pay the lux tax to fill out the rotation and he probably isn’t willing to do it (especially with his $160 million IRS issue).

There’s no way I include Andris in a KG trade. Too valuable for the next 15 years and we don’t have enough interior defense/rebounding without him to win next year.

Any KG trade would need assurances that Garnett would resign, and for the Warriors he’d need to realize that he’s not a franchise player and can’t be making half the salary cap by himself. Otherwise we have over $40 million tied into 2 players, neither of whom has ever won anything.

commish

Call me naive but I don’t think Kobe is going anywhere. I think, like Don Nelson, he is posturing to get what he wants–a team around him where he can win. Dr. Buss made his bed with Kobe and I don’t see him lying in it alone. Kobe will whine until he gets what he wants, or at least the effort on the Laker’s part. Of course I can’t be sure of this and it is only my opinion, but I think the press in LA would go crazy if the Lsker’s shipped Kobe off. Like I said, call me naive.

Adam Blakeslee

Kobe is a wishy washy cry baby. He chased Shaq out of town and cause the demise of the Laker franchise. All the while delusional Kobe lovers are still loyal to him. I don’t like Kobe. He’s a bitch. But he isn’t going anywhere either. I guarantee you this when the seasons starts he be wearing the purple and gold and the Lakers will lose in the first round of the playoffs again.

Dave K.

Paul Pierce to LA? Whaaaaat? How did that guy get so overrated all of a sudden? He is a very good player but no way is that a better offer than what Chicago has. If Chicago has the chance to get either guy — I will cry. As long as we don’t gut our team for them, I can’t even imagine the possibility of Kobe or KG playing in Chicago. C’mon Pax! For once we are the ones with leverage in the driver’s seat! If they want too much then just draft smart at 9 and keep the team intact!

cfan79

You are underrating Paul Pierce Dave K. Besides I didn’t say that would be all that Danny Ainge would offer. We also have a top 5 pick in one of the best big men drafts in a long time.

Dave K.

Marcus – you also forgot to mention one more link between the Chicago/GS scenarios – If the Bulls get Kobe it will likely include their #9 pick this year. The Bulls and GS are the two main teams going after Boston’s #5 for Yi. If the Bulls get Kobe that pretty much means GS can go after Yi alone without another team to have to bid against.

Dave K.

@cfan79
I like Paul Pierce a lot – he can score in a variety of ways on a nightly basis – a rare thing in the NBA. The problem is he will be hitting 30 this year and trust me, LA will want Harrington as well which would make it a bad move overall for the Celts. They would be better off trading that #5 pick for two quality players and a later pick if they can get it. Put 3 more quality guys around Pierce and Harrington and Boston can get better in a hurry.

cfan79

Dave

I don’t think Chicago will offer anything better then Pierce and the 5. Jefferson and Kobe along with a possible sign and trade for Rashard Lewis could make Boston a top 5 team in the east at least.

Boomdizzle99

you guys are a bunch of retards. it doesnt matter what a team has for kobe, bottum line is he wants to win NOW!!!. there are only 3 teams he could do that with, #1- Phoenix: kobe wont have to run the show and their talent with his is an immediate championship team, sure they would have to trade diaw and raja bell plus their 27 and 29th overall picks.imagine him, steve,shawn,and amare together. #2- chicago: Their defense is top 5 and the east is crappy and kobe would get deeper into the playoffs, they can trade ben gordon, nocioni, and that #9 pick, which would satisfy the lakers. he, heinrich,deng ,tyrus,and big ben are an extremely formidable team. #3- Houston rockets: this might be impossible, but its not really, trade kobe for shane battier and bonzi wells, this and next years draft picks, and get help from another team and it could work. As for KG and paul peirce, they both are overrated and KG has to go now! to either GS or L.A. paul peirce sucks, i dont care where he goes and if you dont believe any of this, then i dont care and just face it . we are all competitors who want to win desperatly!

manhattanproj

^the suns will need to give up more than just diaw, bell, and first round picks. they will probably need to give up barbosa, possible this yr and next yr picks, diaw, and thomas. with all that said, the lakers probably wont trade him to a division rival.

Dave K.

Sorry cfan29 – I meant that the Lakers would want Jefferson (not Harrington) and that would put the Celts back at square one.
@Boomdizzle99
If the Bulls could just give that up and get him that would be incredible, but I’m pretty sure the Lakers would want Gordon, Deng, Nociono, #9 pick and possibly Duhon or T. Thomas so they could include some bad contracts to get rid of with Kobe. That would just be too much for the Bulls but with your scenerio that would be beautiful!

Kane

The Lakers should deal Bryant and accomplish one of the biggest deals in sports history. The Lakers have the potenial to make a block buster deal that can immulate the Dallas Cowboys dealing Hershel Walker to the Minnisota Vikings in 1992.

Kobe has been disgruntled for years. He cried about Shaq and now that he is gone Kobe can’t handle the heat(no pun intended). Being a die-hard Laker fan I would love to finally watch a team play instead of a one man show.

Faukengenius

I’m Rick James Biatch!!! Who cares about Kobe. Go Warriors!

Bones

O.K. it’s ya boy Bones here & I am a Lakers fan & Kobe fan all the way.I think that Kobe is staying to the Lakers for at least one more year.I don’t think coaches are that dumb to give up there star “PLAYERS” for just for one player,But if you are the sorry teams like the Bobcats & ETC.,then I say go for it,But if your like Chicargo & the Suns,dumb deal,because they almost made it to the finals,But the only thing they need is a little improvment & they are there.Thier is new talent that’s coming to the draft this year & if the teams that made it to the playoffs this year get’s Kobe instead of a hot rookie then they are crazy,Because that’s how teams that like made it to the secound round get’s behind.You have to look on towards the future on your team it’s not always the present.Just like the Celtics was a good team back in the day with Larry Bird,they have one player now & he can’t do it by himself,So that’s what I mean by looking on toward’s the future of your team.I am not hating on Kobe.I am hating on Phill Jackson yes Phill Jackson,Because I like the guy he is going down as a legend coach,But he dosen’t know what to do at sometimes & I would like to see some of that old Phill Jackson when he won the Lakers there 3 time back to back championships & 4 time straight best in the West championships.This was ya boy B & im out

commish

I don’t know if you or most of you will agree with this, but when a player, even Kobe, goes ballastic like he recently has, doesn’t he lose a great deal of leverage for getting what he wants? I mean the Lakers really can’t make a lot of high end demands for who they want for Kobe because other teams can and let him just stew and continue to lose more trade value?

Personally I think he is a cancer to any team and certainly wouldn’t want him on the Dubs. But that realy wasn’t my point. At this point, who has more leverage: Kobe and the Fakers or any other team who may want him?

Bones

O.K. this is ya boy Bones here back agian attending to this o called person Commish.”The Fakers” O.K. do you even know basket-ball?No,No,No dont answere that,Because you don’t.Kobe is my man & he is the best basketball player alive yes “THE BEST BASKET-BALL PLAYER ALIVE” Whatever team he goes to or Stays now mark these word’s “HE WILL MAKE THEM HOT”.This was ya boy Bones & Im out

cfan79

depnya

I being called a moron by you, a guy who is dumb enough to post the same thing 3 times.

Pierce and the 5 is a much better offer then

raja bell and diaw
marion and barbosa and some draft picks

or

shane battier and bonzi wells and some picks.

cfan79

Plus there is no way Chicago would give up Deng for Kobe. Thus Boston has the most to offer.

commish

This is the first time I’ve been called out in a blog. Wow, what a rush.

Meanwhile, Bones, I would never argue that Kobe isn’t the best individual talent in the NBA. He also happens to be a crappy team player and a big cry baby when things don’t go his way. But as far as talent goes, there’s no one better.

That’s why all the nonsense of comparing him to MJ stops on a dime. Michael made his teammates better and cared more about his team than his ego. Nuff said.

Socalblkmagic

Warrior fans think to small. Forget the draft and some maybe player. It’s time for the warrior to explore trading for Kobe, KG, Marion ect.. Why throw everyone elde into the equasion and not the Warriors. We have alot of tradeable talent, far more than the teams being mentioned in the blockbuster trades, however the fan bas is talking about the funky draft. Wake Up !!